1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to automobile child prevention locks, and more particularly pertains to new and improved locks for preventing the doors and windows of a vehicle from being opened by children within the vehicle. When young children are riding within a vehicle, it is often dangerous for them to open the doors or windows of the vehicle at an inopportune time. Also, it is sometimes desired to keep children restrained within the interior of the vehicle while the parents are attending to an errand. The conventional door locks and window operating mechanisms allow children within the vehicle to open the doors and windows at will. Currently, people desiring to keep the children from opening the windows and doors from the interior of the vehicle resort to such extremes as removing the door and window operating handles. The present invention avoids the necessity of these extreme measures by providing easily actuatable locks for both the window operating lever and the door actuating handle.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Various types of door and window locks are known in the prior art. A typical example of such a locking mechanism is to be found in U.S. Pat. No. 2,578,547, which issued to H. Hilger on Dec. 11, 1951. This patent discloses a foil for attachment over the door handle on the interior of an automobile. The device includes a shroud which encloses the door handle which is secured by a screw mechanism. U.S. Pat. No. 3,660,996, which issued to A. Syvertson on May 9, 1972, discloses a locking device for a doorknob lock. This device includes a base which is secured around a doorknob by screws extending into the door. A cover is pivotally connected by a hinge to the base and is movable between open and closed positions. In the closed position the doorknob is completely surrounded. A locking mechanism is provided to maintain the cover in a closed and locked position. U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,606, which issued to E. Prince on Jan. 16, 1973, discloses a device for locking a hand operated shift of the type in which a movable shift stick is located on a central panel in the driver's compartment between the two seats of an automobile. The device includes a cylindrical member which fits over the handle portion of the stick shift at a location to enclose a movable release button. The release button must be depressed in order to move the stick shift from one gear position to another. The locking device includes an opening or slot in the tubular member which covers the handle part and it extends on the other side of the stick. A top portion bounding the slot has a lock shank receiving opening so that the lock shank may block the slot to keep the locking cylinder from being dislodged from a position blocking the movement of the release button. In this manner unauthorized operation of the stick shift is prevented. U.S. Pat. No. 3,837,191, which issued to L. Soiderer on Sept. 24, 1974, discloses a safety lock device for windows that can be assembled with existing household windows having sliding upper and lower sashes and a latch mounted on the sashes. The device consists of a hollow member secured to one sash so as to overlie the latch and permit access to the latch only through a side opening in the hollow member and a cover or slide member telescopically mounted on the hollow member for movement to a position blocking the latch access opening. Provision is made for locking the slide in this position. U.S. Pat. No. 4,064,721, which issued to R. Morgan on Dec. 27, 1977, discloses a security lock for dead-bolt door locks. This device includes a shroud that encompasses and grips the dead-bolt actuator at the inside of the door, and is rotatably mounted in a base secured to the inner face of the door, with a handle portion on the shroud exposed to enable the shroud, and hence the dead-bolt actuator, to be manually turned. A spring biased security bolt slidably mounted in the base engages a cylindrical side surface of the shroud and snaps into a keeper recess in that surface when the shroud is turned to the position at which the dead-bolt is in its projected door-locking position. This device thus prevents the dead-bolt actuator, or tumbler lock, at the inside of the door from being rotated to a position retracting the dead-bolt.
While the above mentioned devices are suited for their intended usage, none of these devices is suitable for locking the door actuating handle and window operating lever against manipulation by occupants within a vehicle. Further, none of these devices provide locking mechanisms which can be readily attached and removed from the door operating handle and window operating lever within the interior of a vehicle. Inasmuch as the art is relatively crowded with respect to these various types of locking devices, it can be appreciated that there is a continuing need for and interest in improvements to automobile child prevention locks, and in this respect, the present invention addresses this need and interest.